Tuxedo will not be getting a Dollar General

Published: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, November 19, 2013 at 6:00 p.m.

A development group hoping to lure Dollar General to a parcel in Tuxedo has pulled its rezoning application for the property.

Westside Village Property LLC had applied to rezone 1.42 acres of vacant land on Old U.S. Highway 25 across from the future Tuxedo Park from Residential Two Rural to Local Commercial Conditional.

The rezoning was recommended for approval Nov. 5 by the county’s Technical Review Committee, which also approved a major site plan for the project. The rezoning was scheduled to come before the planning board Thursday.

But Interim Planning Director Autumn Radcliff said Monday that developers requested their rezoning application be withdrawn last week.

Commissioner Tommy Thompson, one of five partners in Westside Village, said Dollar General “did all their studies and demographics and they told us there weren’t enough rooftops and traffic volume” to justify the chain locating a store in Tuxedo.

“So unfortunately, we’re out of the ballgame,” Thompson said.

Thompson said Dollar General typically wants their stores within a radius of enough households that “you attract a tremendous amount of people who are driving by and say, ‘Oh, I need a gallon of milk.’”

Although Tuxedo’s traffic counts aren’t high enough now, Thompson predicted that within three to four years, a newly developed Tuxedo Park will change demographics enough to attract more retail presence in the community.

<p>A development group hoping to lure Dollar General to a parcel in Tuxedo has pulled its rezoning application for the property. </p><p>Westside Village Property LLC had applied to rezone 1.42 acres of vacant land on Old U.S. Highway 25 across from the future Tuxedo Park from Residential Two Rural to Local Commercial Conditional. </p><p>The rezoning was recommended for approval Nov. 5 by the county's Technical Review Committee, which also approved a major site plan for the project. The rezoning was scheduled to come before the planning board Thursday.</p><p>But Interim Planning Director Autumn Radcliff said Monday that developers requested their rezoning application be withdrawn last week.</p><p>Commissioner Tommy Thompson, one of five partners in Westside Village, said Dollar General “did all their studies and demographics and they told us there weren't enough rooftops and traffic volume” to justify the chain locating a store in Tuxedo.</p><p>“So unfortunately, we're out of the ballgame,” Thompson said.</p><p>Thompson said Dollar General typically wants their stores within a radius of enough households that “you attract a tremendous amount of people who are driving by and say, 'Oh, I need a gallon of milk.'” </p><p>Although Tuxedo's traffic counts aren't high enough now, Thompson predicted that within three to four years, a newly developed Tuxedo Park will change demographics enough to attract more retail presence in the community.</p><p>“Those people down there want that, and they need it,” he said. </p><p>Reach Axtell at 828-694-7860 or than.axtell @blueridgenow.com.</p>